Tag Archives: spring

Pleasantries

Posted on May 9, 2011 | 13 Comments

Spring is busting out all over. I have almost forgiven Chicago for such a long winter. She takes my breath away when she is in full bloom.

I celebrated my first Mother’s Day with my little family in the sun. It was perfect. All the iPhone photos we took depicted the most amazing spring outing together. Everything all in a row and lovely. It was.

Even though it all seems like a fairytale life, I don’t want to project that image all the time. I don’t mean to say that life isn’t good, because it is. It appears especially good on the surface. On paper. In photos. In this blog. But there is certainly a balance.

Staying home and watching Benton turn from a baby into a kid before my eyes is a blessing. It’s truly the best job I have had, even though I am never off the clock. I am capable of feeling more love and joy than I could have ever imagined. I feel lucky. I do. This is why I don’t like to voice my sorrows or struggles. It makes me appear ungrateful.

I hate being a complainer, especially when I have it so “good.” But I give 125% of myself everyday, and sometimes it doesn’t feel like enough. I don’t like asking for help, even though I could use it. I hate to admit that I can’t do it all and my perfectionism is often a curse.

I don’t like admitting that I have been struggling with anxiety in the middle of the night. That I have conversations in my head in the early morning hours that would not be considered remotely pleasant. That I worry about things in the dark that would never be given a second thought in the light of day. That I often feel alone, even when I am never actually by myself.

I have started talking about these things with other moms who have been through similar things. It is helping. If you are one of the ladies I have been conversing with on this subject, thank you so much. It means the world to me.

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Posted in Uncategorized

Tagged 10 month old, anxiety, baby, Chicago, mothers day, SAHM, spring

Here

Posted on April 26, 2011 | 3 Comments

We moved! We survived.

We got to sit in one of the new parks. With warm legs and bare feet.

We watched the big kids play. There are so many kids in this hood. It still seems odd to me. In a good way.

We have been exploring. We have been eating (not pictured, but much enjoyed.)

But mostly? We have been looking for spring. Have you seen her? Can you send her by my place if you have? She does wonders for my mood. These photos were taken on the rare warm days we have had. Actually, I think there have been two so far. It has been the cloudiest April on the books and one of the rainiest. Sad trombone.

I have also felt a bit disconnected from my online life since we moved. Baby mobility and home change coincided. Benton is everywhere! It is amazing and exhausting and cute and dangerous. I have to keep my eye on him at all times, so that means less time for…anything else. I love this new phase, but it also means that naptimes have been consumed by organizing and cleaning, since it is difficult to do this things when he is awake. We are just now settled enough for me to feel like I can write again while he is dreaming. So that is the plan anyway.

Apologies for being out of the loop. What did I miss?

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Posted in baby, Chicago

Tagged 9 month old, Chicago, lack of warmth, lame post, mobile baby, moving, park, Seasonal depression, south loop, spring, sun

BOOM

Posted on March 16, 2011 | 14 Comments

What's this?

Hmm. Seems to be a baby child on the beach in March.

Yes. He has been here before, but this it his first sit in the sand.

The first time he has really touched it.

Interesting stuff. It can't really be gotten. And flows through tiny fingers.

I feel so lucky to witness these firsts. To spend the day with my buddy. To be part of his life as he takes in more and more of this world. My friend's mother who said 'the first six months he is yours. And after that? Your job is to introduce him to the world' was so right. Spring is such a fitting season for this age. One day there is nothing to see, and the next the buds are bursting. New. Wow! Look! This! That! Go! BOOM.

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Posted in baby, Chicago

Tagged 8 month old, baby, beach, loyola park, photography, rogers park, spring, spring fever

Happy..Trumpet?

Posted on February 14, 2011 | 1 Comment

I hate to have the sad trombone post stuck at the top of the page for too many days. Because things are better.

Today I went outside and the snow was melting. I know better than to get my hopes up that spring is really here. But today? I got a hint of it. And it was SO. GOOD.

I walked into my bedroom when the sun was hitting my yellow friend just right. I wanted to Pin it. Which means I have been spending far too much time on Pinterest. Ahem.

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Posted in Chicago, Daily Picture

Tagged daily photo, happy, light, spring, tulip

Spring Lovelies (and Un-lovlies)

Posted on April 11, 2010 | 3 Comments

You know what’s fun? Procrastinating when you should be packing! So I thought I would post some photos that need to live somewhere other than my memory card.

One of the pleasures of being pregnant is experiencing mood swings. This is not typical to my personality, so I am living through vastly different emotions from one day to the next for the first time.

Here is a list of things that are lovely right now, and general contribute to a great mood. There is also a list of things that I find hateful most days. And they should be avoided at all costs.

Lovelies:

Spring!
Commuting home in the warm sun.
New things growing out of the ground.
Parfaits. From Catch and Carry, Baci, Rom, Starbucks, or Starfruit. Yes.
Dessert.
Fruit.
Being in the park.
Sleeping through the night on occasion.
Thinking about the new apartment.
Thinking about meeting the baby.
Talking about the baby with Justin.
Spotting strollers.
Baby kicks.
Our once a week date.
Bedtime.
Tea.
Meals with friends.
Leaving the building for lunch.
Sleeping in.
Not wearing a coat.
Lemons.
Cats napping on the porch.
The days getting longer.
Having moments of clarity where I realize how lucky I am.
Taking pictures during the magic hour.
Clearing the memory card after an upload.
The sunroof opened all the way in my car.
Green ballet flats.
Andersonville. (I will miss you)
When Justin comes home on the early train after night class.
Hearing how much he loves his job.
There are only a couple of weeks left of law school.
Words With Friends on iPhone. PLAY WITH ME. My name is Megagood.

UN-lovlies (AKA First-World Problems of a Preg):

When Spring disappears suddenly, due to living in Chicago.
Walking home from the train when it is cold and wet.
Wearing coats that don’t allow me to zip the belly up.
Gaining weight and having to ration parfait and Desserts.
Packing boxes.
Adding more things to the growing to-do list.
Justin has started a new habit of snoring after 7 years. I love you, husband, BUT I MIGHT SMOTHER YOU.
K, sorry. But you now also have some kind of coughing/wheezing habit. We have to fix this. SMOTHER.
Seriously, I think he has some kind of allergy that may be fixed with the move. But if not, there are two choices. Allergist or SMOTHERING. And I don’t want to be a single mom, so let’s settle this rationally. It makes me feel bad to be so irritated with someone’s suffering. But I can’t help it right now.
The vibrating chair that the landlord uses above us. The whole stupid house shakes.
The produce selection at Jewel
Telling people how I feel all the time. “Feeling great!” Actually, I feel fat and my hips hurt and I can’t sit or stand for very long. And I get out of breath from walking up to the train platform.
I haven’t slept through the night in months. And this will likely continue for months to come.
Being in a bad mood irritates me further. This is the worst.

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Posted in Daily Picture, photography, pregnancy

Tagged annoyed, blue sky, Daily Picture, flowers, happy, mood swings, photography, pregnancy, spring

Breathing is Good

Posted on March 21, 2010 | 1 Comment

As I type this, I am finding it hard to breath. The body I am living in is starting to feel foreign to me. I know it is technically the same one I have had for years, but it seriously feels like I am wearing a costume. A heavy one. It is increasingly difficult to get a deep breath due to less space for lungs, extra blood pulsing through my body, and carrying more weight. Specifically on the chest. Ahem.

When I tell Justin about my woes, he reminds me that I’m a “good baby grower.” Thanks, that’s sweet, but that doesn’t really help me breathe. I guess there is nothing much we can do. So I sit here listening to my own heartbeat pound in my ears, feeling my blood pulse through every part of my body like there is a race on. And if I am wearing a necklace, it will bounce with each ridiculously exaggerated heartbeat. I guess this is normal?

Otherwise, I’m feeling pretty well, considering there is another human growing in my abdomen.

Life is continuing at break-neck speed and I am keeping up for now. This week’s big event was finding our new apartment. We had been searching for a while, and just found something that is going to work out nearly perfectly for us. I was so excited yesterday that I got a stomach ache. We are also moving a month and a half early. Which is probably a good thing since I am only going to continue to suffocate under my own weight as the months go by. Time to start packing and saying goodbye to lovely Andersonville. But we are excited to get to know our new hood, Rogers Park. And it is the perfect season to explore.

Yes, spring is officially here. Although Chicago welcomed it with a snowstorm.

RUDE.

But the week before the snow was pretty great. The day before the snow was nice enough to open windows and walk to the park without a coat on. Luckily I had the day off to soak in some vitamin D before putting on the puffy coat once again. March is such a weird month here.

The rink is melting!

Schween rests by an open porch window

Then hunts her shadow with intensity. This points to the sad fact that she hasn't seen much sun for months.

Oh, and these are taco pot pies. Nothing to do with spring really. Just a weird dinner we had on Thursday. I know it sounds white trash, but they were actually pretty awesome.

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Posted in Daily Picture, photography, pregnancy

Tagged cat, crocus, Daily Picture, heartbeat, ice rink, new apt, open window, photography, pregnancy, spring, sprouts, sun, taco pot pie

FREAKING OUT

Posted on March 17, 2010 | 1 Comment

I almost peed my pants on the way to work because I saw these at the end of my block. SPRING?!?

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Posted in Daily Picture

Tagged Daily Picture, flowers, photography, spring

The Best

Posted on May 19, 2009 | Leave a comment

Why I waited so long to plan a vacation for Justin and I is beyond me. The long weekend was a success and we are trying to weasel in some more getaways this summer. They may well be in a tent rather than an inn, but I am excited for more adventures none-the-less.

So everyone always asks “How was your trip?” I really can’t imagine they want to hear about it at length, but here goes:

The best parts of the Door County trip:

The Blacksmith Inn. This place was so relaxing and beautiful. They had fresh cookies in the common room, hammocks on the balconies, fireplaces and in-room hot tubs. I would go back in a second. The owners were sweet and had breakfast waiting every morning. Each room is different, so take your pick.
Fried Cheese Curds. I don’t need to explain why this is awesome.
Fried Lake Perch. See also: Blue Gill.
Restaurant Saveur. Order the calamari steak. Ridiculous.
Wild Tomato. Such a great lunch. Featuring wood-fired pizza and artwork done by the owner’s children.
Thrift Store in Egg Harbor…or Fish Creek. We scored golf clubs, a bowling bag/new purse, and Trivial Pursuit from the late 80′s or early 90′s. We are now experts on the U.S.S.R. and the six-year-war.
Selfishly hogging Justin to myself. Undivided attention is the best birthday present.
Mama Bird. There was this little sandpiper nesting right next to the doc. We checked in on her a lot and had several quality conversations with her, regarding her muffin-like stance on her nest. A rival mama bird in the area did a weird feather dance that we can only imagine is called “splaying.”
Nature.
Not involving airports in any way. There is something to be said for road-trips making a vacation less stressful.

The Inn's dock.

Sorry for the feet shot, but the hammock was the BEST

Mama bird settling in on the nest.

My raptor impression is better in person.

Fresh flowers from the garden on the breakfast table

Strawberry ice cream soda from the Yum Yum Tree in Bailey's Harbor.

And if you are into orchards–cherry or apple–you will be highly satisfied.

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Posted in Daily Picture

Tagged apple blossom, bird's nest, birthday, blacksmith inn, Daily Picture, dock, door county, flowers, hammock, ice cream soda, photography, raptor, spring, vacation, wisconsin, woods

Review of Leo 21

Posted on May 1, 2009 | 1 Comment

Seems like all the hot restaurants have a number in their name. Zed 451, Hub 51, Bin 36–the list goes on. I would like to add the 21st floor of my office to the list. Leo 21. Here is a beautiful image of the fare.

Oh, the Hot Diggity. I can never decide between you and the Big Az Burger (not shown...but surely freezer burnt as well)

Mmmm... the Hot Diggity. I can never decide between you and the Big Az Burger (not shown...but surely freezer burnt as well)

There are at least 5 vending machines of various refrigeration, including an ice cream machine. You can pair your dinner with a choice of fine syrupy beverages, ranging from dark brown to suspiciously clear. And for dessert? I suggest something more creative such as the Snyder’s Snickers.

Simply purchase #150 and #123 in the first vending machine. Chop snickers, place on pretzels, nuke it for 20 seconds and then share.

This is the perfect sweet and savory snack for about 3 pm. You will likely get a decent sugar rush and then fall asleep while waiting for your file to open up off the server. Oh, the glamorous life of working in advertising.

If you are at home, this recipe is actually ridiculously delicious and worth making for a party or holiday…or mid-afternoon snack.

………………..

By the way, the April showers can stop now. It is a soggy situation here in Chicago and I am over it. At least the flowers are loving it.

Happy May.

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Posted in Daily Picture, work

Tagged april showers, Daily Picture, food, leo 21, may flowers, office food, photography, pretzels and snickers, raindrops, review, snacks, spring, tulips, veding machine fare

Pressure

Posted on April 27, 2009 | 3 Comments

Season change=pressure change=storms=major headache. I am loving spring, but not the side effects. I stayed home from work and slept a lot today, but I did go for a little walk to get some fresh air. Andersonville is gorgeous right now. I know I have been posting a lot of foliage, but I can’t help it. I am in love.

I found the "Andersonville Gardens" that are all along the Ravenswood tracks. Happy little walking trail. Picture perfect.

Then I slept for a long time…until it was time to make tacos.

Onion skins again...now in purple!

This is the third post featuring onion skins. They are just so dang pretty. For some reason, the I <3 Garlic post has the most hits of any individual post on Megagood. I don’t really know why that is. Speaking of site stats…people are searching for interesting things and ending up here.